About the Cove

Unique is the only way to describe Rocky Bay Cove.

Rocky Bay Cove is a private site available on a very limited and exclusive basis. Only one booking is taken at a time so campers have the site to themselves. The property itself is 6.35 hectares on the Tutukaka Coast. It has extensively landscaped grounds and a collection of designer artworks, including a life-size Giant Moa and NZ’s largest bucket.

There is ample space for tents, caravans and camper vans. An accessory building houses fridges and freezers and trestle tables and chairs for dining. There is a barbeque, microwave, power connections, fresh drinking water, and a flush toilet and warm shower, We call it camping without inconvenience!  Included in the hire is the use of kayaks, fishing tackle, a dingy, and snorkelling gear.

The Cove is very safe for swimming and snorkelling. It has a deep water mooring and a private boat ramp that is suitable for any trailer boat. Dolphins and Orca regularly visit the Bay and sometimes swim into the Cove. It’s the perfect place to relax at night with a fire on the beach and cook up your catch of the day.

Challenge your golfing skills with the Xtreme Golf floating green – kids (big and small) will love to dive for the golf balls! (Golf clubs and balls are provided.)

The grounds include two ponds that are home to ducks (including the rare native Brown Teal). Various walking trails weave their way around the property and through bush areas that are habitats to native wood pigeons, tui, fantail, warblers, silvereye, and kaka (for a short time in summer).

The hire includes access to Nowhere – a “settlement” of western-themed buildings: A Sheriff’s Office and jail, stables, the Trading Post, and a Bank. Heard about escape rooms? THE GREAT BANK ROBBERY is an escape room challenge to bust out of the Nowhere jail and break into the Nowhere Bank to grab the gold. But it’s not as simple as saying “Stick ’em up and hand over the loot or I will shoot more holes in ya than a Swiss cheese”.  You have to solve the puzzles and riddles before Sheriff Dusty Hogg returns. Sherrif Dusty recently published his Memoirs, which Dusty says is a gripping read about good and evil, crime and justice and the heroic deeds of law enforcement in the Wild West. There’s sure to be a copy in the Sheriff’s Office for you to read.

Rocky Bay Cove is a 5-minute drive to the hub of the coast, Tutukaka, where you will find cafes and shops, and it’s only 7 minutes to Matapouri Bay and 10 minutes to Sandy Bay, one of New Zealand’s best surf beaches. This is an excellent base for families with children as this property offers a selection of things to see and do right on your doorstep.